Parking
No parking at Mirror Lake Trailhead (shuttle stop 17). Park at Curry Village or another eastern Yosemite Valley lot and take the free shuttle to stop 17.
Overview
About Snow Creek Trail
Why go
- Views of Half Dome, the Quarter Domes and Clouds Rest improve as you climb
- Often quieter than Yosemite Valley’s better-known hikes
Heads up
- A long, relentlessly steep climb on rocky, exposed ground
- No trailhead parking or drinking water along the route
Snow Creek Trail is a 9.4-mile out-and-back from Mirror Lake Trailhead, shuttle stop 17, to the Snow Creek footbridge. You gain about 2,700 feet and should allow six to seven hours. It’s a hard Yosemite Valley day hike, but the payoff is strong: Half Dome, the Quarter Domes and Clouds Rest grow closer across Tenaya Canyon as you climb. Choose it if you want a long, strenuous ascent with big granite views; skip it if steep switchbacks and exposed ground drain the fun out of hiking. Start early because most of the climb has little shade and summer afternoons get hot. If the full outing is too much, turn around after the views open; you don’t have to reach the bridge to get the best part.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the climb for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Yosemite map
Full mapElevation4,039–6,834 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
Safety
4 active Yosemite alerts
- ClosureDome Fire closes Glacier Point Road and trailsGlacier Point Road is temporarily closed because Dome Fire smoke reduces visibility and to allow firefighting operations; some trails south of the road are also closed.Official details
- CautionMist Trail access limited during October repairsThe Mist Trail between its John Muir Trail junction above the Vernal Fall footbridge and the top of Vernal Fall has limited access through October for repair work.Official details
“Up ahead is the access for Mirror Lake, a seasonal pool beneath Half Dome and Mount Watkins.”
Yosemite Tour Guide
Yosemite, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Yosemite National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Yosemite audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Mirror Lake0:00 / 0:28
“Up ahead is the access for Mirror Lake, a seasonal pool beneath Half Dome and Mount Watkins.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Yosemite Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Happy Isles and Vernal Fall Footbridge
- Curry Village and Stoneman Meadow
- Yosemite Conservation Heritage Center
- The Ahwahnee and Church Bowl
- 125 audio storiesacross Yosemite’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Black Bear, Peregrine Falcon, Mule Deer, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 141 trails, 99 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“We just drove through Yosemite and it made our trip listening to this app as we drove through. Like having a tour guide in the car with you.”
Trail guide
Hiking Snow Creek Trail
The route through Tenaya CanyonThe walk begins on the paved Mirror Lake Trail.
The walk begins on the paved Mirror Lake Trail. About a mile beyond Mirror Lake, you reach the Snow Creek junction and leave the easy valley path for a steep climb. Dozens of switchbacks zigzag up the canyon wall. After roughly a dozen, Half Dome, the Quarter Domes and Clouds Rest come into view; the panorama grows wider as you climb, then the path enters forest. About 2.6 miles into the uphill section, you reach a fork near Snow Creek. Take the right branch to the footbridge, a natural place to turn around. Snow Creek Falls is nearby, but you can’t see it from this trail.
What makes it hardThe climb keeps going for most of the ascent, and the narrow trail mixes loose sand with rocky…
The climb keeps going for most of the ascent, and the narrow trail mixes loose sand with rocky ground that can be slippery underfoot. An ankle or knee injury can make the return miserable. Much of the route is exposed, with little shade until late afternoon, so heat builds quickly. Carry all the water you’ll need: there’s no drinking water at the trailhead or along the route. Rattlesnakes live here, so watch where you step and check before sitting down. Stay on the trail; the steep ledges and drops are off the tread.
The view worth earningThe first open views come after about a dozen switchbacks, and Half Dome becomes more imposing…
The first open views come after about a dozen switchbacks, and Half Dome becomes more imposing the higher you get. Look across the canyon for the Quarter Domes and Clouds Rest, too. The broad granite shelf in the foreground of the best viewpoint gives the frame a sense of how deep Tenaya Canyon is; keep the view from the trail rather than stepping toward an edge for a photo.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Yosemite
732 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
1,747 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
332 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
11 sightingsPeregrine FalconMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
276 sightingsPikaMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
677 sightingsYellow-bellied MarmotMost seen around 8 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Yosemite. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
